Chinese seller of signal 'jammers' faces $35 million US fine

Thursday, 19 Jun 2014 | 1:53 PM ETReuters

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Alex Wong / Staff | Getty Images News

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler

Chinese electronics maker C.T.S. Technology will face the largest fine in the U.S. FederalCommunications Commission's history, of $34.9 million, for marketing illegal devices that block phone calls and other radio signals, the FCC said on Thursday.

U.S. law prohibits using, selling or marketing devices that block, jam or interfere with authorized radio signals such as telephone calls, GPS systems, Wi-Fi networks or first-responder communications.

U.S. regulators accuse C.T.S. of marketing 285 models of signal jamming devices to U.S. consumers on its website for more than two years, falsely claiming that certain jammers they were selling were actually approved by the FCC.